Labonnya Liza ; Dhaka – A series of lightning strikes in the airspace of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka has left several domestic and international aircraft severely damaged.
In the last 15 days alone, at least three modern aircraft were grounded after being struck by lightning, forcing airlines to face massive financial losses and major disruptions to flight schedules.
According to sources, the estimated financial damage—including repair costs and lost revenue due to flight cancellations—is expected to run into millions of dollars. The affected planes are highly sophisticated aircraft operating on both domestic and international routes.
The most recent incident occurred last Sunday, when a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner belonging to EgyptAir, Egypt’s national carrier, was struck by lightning. Prior to this, two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners from Biman Bangladesh Airlines were hit by lightning during landing in separate incidents.
One of the Biman aircraft suffered severe engine damage and was cleared for flight on June 6 after extensive repairs. The second Biman aircraft required nearly 15 days of repair work to become operational again. Sources revealed that repairing just one of these aircraft cost approximately $300,000.
The grounding of Biman’s two major long-haul aircraft severely disrupted its international schedule. It forced the national flag carrier to delay flights, rearrange routes, and deploy alternative aircraft, significantly driving up operational costs.
Air Commodore Noor-E-Alam, Member (Air Traffic Management) of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), explained that the airport has robust lightning protection systems on the ground.
Therefore, the risk of a plane being hit while on the runway or in the parking bay is extremely low. Instead, the recent incidents all occurred just before landing.
During storms and the monsoon season, friction within massive cloud formations generates massive electrical charges. When an aircraft flies through these charged clouds, its body acts as a conductor, attracting lightning.
Aviation experts noted that older aircraft models were primarily made of aluminum, which allowed the high voltage of a lightning strike to pass safely and quickly across the fuselage.
However, modern aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are constructed with nearly 50% composite materials or carbon fiber. These materials do not conduct electricity as efficiently as aluminum.
As a result, the intense heat from lightning can scorch the composite layers, leaving black marks, punctures, or causing internal layer delamination.
Engineers inspected the damaged EgyptAir aircraft and found entry and exit puncture marks from the lightning strike. The intense electrical surge left black burn marks and small holes across the fuselage.
Biman engineers immediately grounded the affected aircraft for safety. They warned that while external damage might appear minor, lightning can cause severe internal damage to a plane’s wiring, avionics (flight electronics), electronic circuit boards, or fuel systems. Even a microscopic crack in the fuselage can lead to catastrophic accidents at high altitudes.
Air Commodore Monzur-E-Alam, Director of Engineering and Material Management at Biman, stated that modern aircraft are equipped with built-in lightning protection systems and pilots receive special training to handle such weather. However, when caught in heavy lightning mid-air, avoiding a strike entirely is sometimes impossible.
According to experts, assessing structural damage in these scenarios requires advanced “Non-Destructive Testing” (NDT) or ultrasonic testing. Once the extent of the damage is confirmed, repairs must strictly follow the manufacturer’s guidelines—a process that is both highly expensive and time-consuming.